Breathe Me
by Goffgurl08
Summary: A short vignette, sort of AU with a mix of book and musical, between Elphaba and Galinda.


Glinda awoke from her slumber with a start. Her room in the castle lay in complete darkness, save the large open bay window where the moonlight shone boldly from the night. What had awoken her so? She lay there staring at the ceiling above her; the dreams that had been chasing through her head moments ago slowly evaded her. Of the few memories of the dreams she had left, she pulled together the one that shone the most; a soft green glow emitted from it and dark emerald eyes gazed back into her own. The face of Elphaba's had long become but a memory in the depth of her mind. It wasn't the face that had startled her from her dream, though, but what had been occurring with the person belonging to the face. In her dream she had seen the Wicked Witch of the West flying above a large crowd (Munchkinlanders, perhaps?). The people in the huddled group were screaming obscenities towards her and tossing rotten foods in the sky in hopes of knocking her off her broom.

In that moment, Madam Morrible stepped in front of the crowd pulling Glinda by the hair and tossing her towards the ground near a burning fire. Morrible looked towards the sky where she had clearly caught the attention of a school-version of Elphaba, no longer the powerful, collected Wicked Witch, but a simple young woman full of brilliant thoughts and potential. This Elphaba stared down at the crowd and at her young friend, now the school girl, Galinda, with fear and apprehension dancing in her eyes.

"What say you now, Witch!" Morrible shouted upward, a ghastly grin stretched out upon her face; the moonlight twisted and distorted it, causing her appearance to create an ill-fated clown of sorts.

"It's your choice: her safety, or your own!" she cackled toward the crowd, letting them all know of her plan to bring the Witch down. The crowd began chanting with Morrible, _Choose, Witch, choose! Choose, Witch, choose!_

Galinda slowly lifted her head to gaze at Elphaba, who in return began to sink down to the ground. She felt her mouth began to move and open up, "No, Elphie, no!" she thundered with every ounce of effort she possibly could.

This scream was what had woken her up. As the dream finally came back to her, Glinda noticed the orange hue coming from outside of the window, reflecting on her large palace walls. She pushed her covers back and slipped her slippers onto her feet before padding over to the open frame and glancing below. Hundreds of small lights were traveling up the large mountain to her castle on the small pathway the carriages take to and from the Emerald City. Suddenly, a shadow crossed the moonlight draping the castle, giving Glinda reason to glance toward it, only to see the small outline of a woman on a broomstick.

"Elphaba!" The name was out of her mouth before she had time to ponder what was happening. Glinda grabbed her robe and threw it on as she ran. Through the large oak doors leading to her bedroom and down the stone hallway, the torches flickering as she followed the trace of Elphaba's shadow in the moonlight against the cool stone. Down the marble stairs that led into the large foyer where above her through the large glass ceiling she could still make out Elphaba's shadow against the moon as she raced from the villagers. Elphaba's name echoed throughout the palace as Glinda continued to shout it in hopes that she would hear it and return to her. Shoving through the towering wooden doors that entered into the Castle she ran out into the cool night air, piercing at her bare arms and legs, her robe waving behind her like a flag and her arms waving frantically towards the sky. When she glanced up, though, the outline of Elphaba had disappeared.

Glinda paused, glancing all around the sky, through each and every star; she searched for the weaving trace of Elphaba and her broom, to no avail. With that, the pain in her chest was too much to bear and she collapsed onto the ground, the tears falling before she knew needed them.In that moment, a change came about, and she was no longer Glinda the Good Witch, but Galinda Upland, the young, innocent Gilikin girl crumpled in a heap, crying freely into her robes. She could hear the crowd coming closer, yet she had no desire to move, almost preferring that they would come and take her away from the cursed castle she seemed doomed to live in, forever haunted by images of Elphaba.

Strong hands found their way under her frail legs and side, hoisting her up in a baby-like manner. She took a chance and glanced into the eyes of her carrier, seeing nothing but emerald dancing back. The young Galinda Upland gazed back into the eyes of young Elphaba Thropp, the tears all but stopping in an instant. Galinda sucked in a breath of air and thrust her arms fully around Elphaba's neck, burying her face into the large, dark cloak wrapped gently around her and let the tears fall freely down it.

"Why did you leave me?" she sobbed, clenching tightly to the cloak, "I thought I told you how much you meant to me, how much I cared for you? Was that not enough? Oh, Elphie, I missed you so!" she gasped between words, her sentences coming out in bursts and wheezes as she tried without luck to catch her breath. She clutched to her for dear life, as though she were the only thing keeping her living.

"Shh, stay calm, now, I need you to be strong." Elphie coaxed into her ear. "I need to know now, before the villagers come to your castle."

"Know what?" She clutched Elphie's hair breathing in the musky scent it had and rubbing the silky smoothness against her cheek.

"I need to know if you want to come with me this time; if you are willing to leave with me." Elphaba spoke of this with her eyes lowered, afraid to look into Galinda's. Galinda pulled back, realization dawning on her for the first time that Elphaba went on this by herself because she had been afraid that Galinda would decline her the offer of accompanying her.

"Of course I'll come with you, how can you think that I wouldn't want to!" Galinda cried, frustrated that Elphie felt that she hadn't wanted to be with her.

"It's not like anything you've ever experienced before, Galinda, it's a different world… I was just afraid to let you go there, I was afraid to even ask you if you would, but I couldn't go on any longer, Galinda, I need you. I love you." She barely whispered this final sentence, but Galinda heard it all the same. She grabbed the bottom of Elphaba's chin and raised her head to meet her own eye level. A simple agreement was made when they locked eyes, without words, Elphaba knew that Galinda was ready to come with her.

Sliding her hand behind her head, she pulled Elphie's face up to her's and let their lips connect into a slow kiss, their lips pushing against one anothers, each fighting to be closer to one another. Elphie led Galinda to her broom, sliding it underneath them and letting it slowly pick up, the ground beneath their feet disappearing.

The crowd of onlookers watched the sky as Glinda the Good Witch rode on the back of the Wicked Witch's broom, panic and confusion rushing throughout the group. What had become of Glinda? Had the Wicked Witch kidnapped her? The villagers, while watching them fly away began their hunt to track her down once again, marching onward with even more gusto than before.


End file.
